Chapter 27: Second Chances
Clicks wandered the streets with starry eyes, forced to resist the urge to dive into every store he passed with the tantalizing shimmer of orbs, or sleek and shiny wands, or even just plain enchanted seeds hung from storefronts.
He'd have his chance to explore- after he had seen the gates.
Fortunately, the city roads all funneled down towards the gates, making them quite easy to locate. There was no rigid process for crossing through- they hung open all day and night, with only a light guard to keep ferals out and to keep an eye for wanted criminals.
But the guards weren't what Clicks was interested in. No- he was interested in the green orbs socketed into the upper corners of the gate. They cast a faint green barrier of light across the opening that no one seemed to even think about.
Clicks had heard of this, of course- Sapsion City's scanner field. Repurposed from Scanner Orbs, the field would disrupt illusions and decloak ghosts, preventing criminals from passing through undetected. Rex had tasked him with solving a very specific problem. And this field was the closest source of inspiration he knew about.
And yet, in spite of that, his attention was lost almost immediately on a different question as he stared further down the wall, and then down at the ground.
"You need something?" the Escavalier guard asked, noticing the Dedenne parked in the middle of the road.
"Hm. The-scanners… couldn't ghosts just-phase through the walls or-floors to evade them?" he asked.
Escavalier cracked an eerie smile, scraping his lances together excitedly. "They can certainly try. We make sure there's surprises embedded in them both."
"And above?"
Escavalier pointed a lance up towards the top of the wall, where a Sentret could just barely be seen with its eyes locked on the skies. "Sharp-eyed sentinels identify them from below."
Clicks nodded energetically. "The scanners? How do they work?" he asked.
Escavalier shrunk back a bit at that. "Err… I don't know? I just watch the gate."
"Is there a board-that operates them that-I could look-at?" Clicks continued pressing.
Escavalier's demeanor suddenly shifted, taking on a more guarded posture. "You're asking a lot of questions about the security, bud. If you're not wanted, none of this should matter to you."
"I just want to-see how they-work!" Clicks protested, whiskers twitching frantically. "I'm going to-build my-own!"
But Escavalier didn't seem convinced. "Okay bud, you're gonna need to move along now. Either in the city or out," he said, brushing him away dismissively with one of his lances.
Clicks nearly protested further, but his instincts warned him that Escavalier's stance was growing increasingly aggressive. And those lances looked sharp. Muttering, he selected 'in the city' and started marching back up the road. Escavalier watched him until he was out of sight.
Before he could make his way over to another gate to try again, a whisper called out to him from the alley as he passed by- "Psst! Hey! Clicks! Come here!" it called, with no semblance of subtlety whatsoever. Three separate Pokémon passing by stopped and stared at the voice. But fortunately, they all decided it wasn't interesting enough to investigate.
Nervously, Clicks stepped into the shaded alley. Getting a bit closer, he saw the hazy shape of who'd called him- Hoopa was lounging on top of a dumpster like it was a bed.
"What are you-doing here?" Clicks asked, ear twitching with annoyance. Hoopa had proven himself by far the most annoying member of their new band, and Clicks was fairly sure Rex and Bristle only kept him around for his sheer strength and those rings.
"Booored," Hoopa groaned, rolling onto his back. "Came to see what Dedenne was doing. Saw Dedenne get chased off by a guard," he snickered.
Dedenne's tail spasmed behind him angrily, and he hopped up onto the dumpster beside Hoopa.
"You could-have helped! I need to-see that-board!" he squeaked indignantly.
Hoopa rolled a single eye over to him, looking doubtful. "What does Dedenne need to see the scanner thingy for anyways? Does nothing. We got in and out without being scanned."
"That's because you're-you!" Clicks protested. "And I need to-do a good-job on this, so they'll give-me more jobs like-this!"
He turned and stared out from the shade and into the light and bustle of the street. "I don't-want to delve. I just-want to make-things. But it's hard to-get delving supplies at-home! No delving organizations until Bristle showed-up means no suppliers. Now I need to make-them realize I'm more useful if they just give-me the supplies!"
Hoopa yawned. "Why not just move somewhere else?"
All of Clicks' twitching froze for a moment as he stared blankly at the imp.
"Just.. move somewhere-else?"
Hoopa nodded apathetically. "Yes. Stop living there. Live somewhere else."
"It's- it's not that-simple!" Clicks protested, his many twitches and ticks starting back up at once. "I'd have-to… move everything, leave-everyone I-know behind!"
"Didn't Dedenne do that now?" he asked, finally sitting up.
"Well, Tranquil-Knoll isn't as-far! And I'll go-back eventually!"
"Hoopa doesn't see the difference," Hoopa said with a shrug. "Now. Dedenne wants to see the board?"
"Yes!" Clicks said, throwing his short arms up in frustration. "But the guards will-not show me!"
Hoopa yawned again, fanning his mouth emphatically. "Guards are stupid," he said.
He clasped his hands together and opened a small ring directly in front of Clicks. On the other side, a board embedded with various slivers and fragments of dungeon-tech could be seen in a narrow space, lit mostly by the dim natural light seeping through the portal.
Clicks' eyes widened, first with shock, and then with glee. A front row view to the innards of the gate! His gaze twitched around the plate, taking in every detail and examining every connection as he slowly pieced together how the scattered fragments of dungeon-tech controlled the scanner orbs outside the wall.
"What does Bristle want with the weird plate, anyways?" Hoopa asked, peering over Clicks shoulder.
"Rex," Clicks corrected, hypnotized by the board. It was far more sophisticated technology than he'd ever had the privilege of examining so intimately. "Wanted a portable scanner-field. Like-the gates."
"Ooooh! Will Hoopa and the rejects hunt ghosts?" he asked, a sinister glimmer in his eyes.
"Stop calling us rejects," Clicks muttered half-heartedly, mind elsewhere. He could see it now- how the pieces enabled the orb to sustain its field rather than emitting it once. He couldn't commit it all to memory, but his toughest questions were answered. He'd just need a few supplies and—
Did he need to memorize it?
His head snapped to Hoopa at once. "Can you open this from anywhere?" he demanded.
"Hoopa ring goes wherever, whenever!" Hoopa scoffed, sounding offended.
"So we can look-at this again? Later?"
"Yes, yes," Hoopa said, waving a hand dismissively. "Hoopa will show Dedenne the weird plate again."
But Clicks didn't seem to be calming at all. Sparks ran across his whiskers and all down his tail as the Dedenne visibly buzzed. "What-else-can-you-show-me? Anywhere? Anything? Any tech?"
Hoopa recoiled away, and took to the air to escape Clicks, looking disgusted. "Yes, yes… If you tell Hoopa where the plate is. Dedenne is weird and infatuated with plates."
"Excellent. Excellent-excellent!" Dedenne cried, hopping eagerly from the dumpster. "I will go get-paper. We can-write the supplies the-board needs and go-find them! Let's-go!"
Hoopa stared skeptically at him even as he started to skitter away. Finally, he yawned and laid back down on the dumpster. "No. Hoopa stays here. Come back with paper."
Dedenne turned and twitched at him. "You-are hiding?" he asked, verifying his suspicion.
Hoopa shrugged, returning to his nonchalant lounge. "Hoopa is coveted."
Clicks considered questioning that. But a little voice in his head asked- did he care more about this than unrestricted access to whatever blueprint he wanted?
The answer was obvious.
"—and I cannot believe you ran through the whole blasted city, making an absolute fool of me in the process. As if you thought—"
"Bristle, I will strangle you in the middle of a police station if you don't stop talking right now," Rex growled.
"Surprisingly, I'm with the human on this one, Bristle," Lore grumbled. "I think he gets the point by now."
Lore had marched Rex straight back to the Crest, picking up a very angry Bristle along the way, who had spent the remainder of the walk making sure her displeasure with the situation was well-advertised. Now, it seemed they were being marched up to the pinnacle of the tallest tower- and Rex couldn't help but feel like he was being sent to the principal's office.
And effectively, he had. Lore dragged the duo up to the Guildmaster's office and gave a call of warning before entering.
The office was spacious, but humbly furnished beside the towering windows in the back and the grand desk of the Guildmaster. Besides a few shelves and cabinets, and a large circular rug, most of the furniture was an assortment of mats and chairs lying about to support any variety of visitor.
To say Ithycus was surprised at the duo Lore brought with him was an understatement. The Sceptile immediately stood up, gaping.
"Bristle?" he tilted his head, stepping out from behind his desk as if to confirm. His eyes shifted over to Rex, and then to Lore quizzically.
"Another one," the Ninetales answered plainly, and took a seat in front of the desk. His gaze silently demanded Rex and Bristle do the same.
Begrudgingly, they each grabbed an appropriate chair and did.
"Found that one snooping around my study," Lore growled, nudging his head towards Rex. "Had me fooled, until I read something interesting in the news. Him and Bristle are the ones who handled that crisis out in Solemn Meadow. And his reaction all-but-confirmed the allegations that he's human."
"I plead the fifth," Rex grumbled, folding his arms.
Several blank stares were shot his way, but he didn't explain. He didn't even look at anyone. He just kept staring out the window silently.
Finally Lore spoke up with a sigh- "It's a human expression. He's invoking the right to say nothing."
Ithycus buried his face halfway in his hand and groaned before turning to Bristle. "Bristle. It's good to see you again. I hope you're doing well?"
Bristle took the opportunity to mirror Rex's posture and grumpy look. "I'm doing just fine," she answered curtly.
"…I see your sabbatical hasn't improved much," Ithycus muttered before letting out a heavy sigh of his own. "Well. I suppose I should introduce myself, to you at least, human. I am Guildmaster Ithycus," he said, clasping his hands together and taking a small bow. "And between the two of you, I'd like to know what exactly is going on here. Why you are with a human, Bristle, and why you are snooping around my guild, human."
Rex shot Bristle a look to stay silent, and an unamused glare was her response. Her petals tightened and her flowers curled up tight.
"I'm with him due to a stroke of bad luck. And he's snooping because wanted to know why one of your delvers nearly killed us, before purging a dungeon," she told Ithycus accusingly. "The Helioptile didn't think you'd cooperate."
"Way to just throw me under the bus," Rex muttered.
Ithycus suddenly went quiet as the life drained from his face. He turned away to glance out large window behind his desk. "Faith… Faith attacked you?" he confirmed.
"Could barely recognize her. Took a job in Flak Hollows and found her trying to kill our client. Wouldn't stop, so ended up in a- err- disadvantageous fight-"
"She kicked our asses," Rex cut her off to assert, earning a death glare.
"—and then she sealed the rift right in front of us. The dungeon dispelled and left us trapped in its remains. We nearly died." Bristle's voice grew cold and detached as she finished.
Ithycus nodded slowly without turning around to look at them. There was a long, silent moment as the air in the office suddenly seemed chilly, in spite of the summer heat.
"How is she doing?" he finally asked, nearly whispering.
Bristle blinked. Then that surprise turned to a nasty scowl. "Faith? She's completely crazy, probably brainwashed, and dangerous. But thanks for worrying about us. We're doing just fine after her murder attempt, so glad you care."
A flash of guilt was on the Sceptile's face as he turned back to face Bristle properly. Though it was impossible to know who for.
"Right. I'm sorry. I'm just very worried about this, is all. Normally purging dungeons would be a good thing, but…" He glanced nervously at Lore. "We don't believe Faith is in a clear state right now."
Rex finally looked him in the face to raise an eye. "And what state do you believe she's in?"
Ithycus opened his mouth to address the Helioptile, but then stopped. Skeptically, he stole another glance at Bristle. He seemed to decide something in that moment.
"What exactly do you two intend to do with this information?" he asked firmly.
"Hunt her down and bring her in for questioning," Bristle answered plainly before Rex could cut her off. "We think she may have conspirators who were behind the incident in Solemn Meadow."
"The 'spirit' of Flak Mountain?" Lore asked.
There was an awkward hesitation before Bristle nodded.
But Ithycus didn't seem to listen to the entirety of her answer. He didn't seem to be paying attention to any of this. His gaze had been drilling a hole in the floor until he finally looked up, seeming tired yet resolute. He shook his head.
"No," he said simply. He looked Bristle in the eyes. "I refuse to involve you in this."
Bristle's scowl deepened and she quickly rose. "Excuse me? That's not your choice to make! We're already involved."
Ithycus's eyes sharpened further. "I'm not going to encourage you to get in over your head again, Bristle. You said yourself- she nearly killed you. I refuse to sending you off to your death on my conscience. And if I enable this you will get yourself killed."
"Told you," Rex muttered, rolling his eyes.
Bristle stamped her foot and growled. "I'm not a kid anymore, and I'm not your subordinate either. I have my own guild now, and we have just as much of a right to pursue her as you do!"
"Maybe so." Ithycus sighed, shoulders drooping. "But that doesn't mean I have to help you."
"You should know that won't stop her," Rex noted dryly. "It's just going to make this harder on us."
Ithycus finally seemed to remember the Helioptile, eyeing him curiously. "Tracking Faith has been nearly impossible, even with our resources. With any luck on my part, you two will never run into her again without our help. Sorry, human."
"Whatever." Rex shrugged. This just put them back at square one anyways- he'd always assumed the Crest would be useless.
Bristle seemed less quick to accept this though, still staring angrily at the Guildmaster, as if that would change his mind. But after a long and uncomfortable moment of mutual, silent glares, it became clear his will was just as strong. She huffed and turned.
"If that will be all, we'll be heading home now," she said coldly, refusing to look at anyone.
"Wait, were we not getting arrested, or… ?" Rex mumbled confused.
"Oh! Wait, human!" Lore instantly leapt up at the threat of them leaving. "I need to interview you! I have a few theories that I think you might be able to confirm."
Rex shot him the filthiest of looks. "Did you guys not just explain that you're going to deliberately tell us nothing? Why the hell would I give you an interview?"
Lore recoiled like a disciplined dog. Rex chose to take that as a complete answer and made for the door, before Lore yipped after him- "You're not the only one."
Rex paused, permitting one final look back to the Ninetales. "What?"
"You're not the only human we've found," Lore quickly clarified. "We've discovered several others."
Rex wasn't sure what to make of that. "Where are they?"
Lore hesitated. "Under our care. I'm not sure it's my place to tell you their names, but I'll make sure they… know about… you…" Lore trailed off as he seemed to realize something. Whatever it was, it left him incredibly confused. He shot a concerned glance to Ithycus before muttering, "Though, I suspect they already do."
The oddness of that reaction didn't escape Rex.
"That didn't exactly stop you guys from publicly announcing my name and private details," he hissed.
Lore winced again, looking apologetic. "Right. Sorry about that. We don't personally review everything Sage publishes. She's usually a bit more tactful than this."
"Hmph," he grunted. "Well. Send them my way then."
He departed without looking back, and Bristle followed after silently fuming, not bothering say farewell to either of them.
"Come by again sometime, Bristle. I'm… sorry about this," Ithycus called after her. The guilt had finally started to sneak into his voice.
But she still didn't reply.
Ashen's day had been going about how he'd expected. Why, why, why would anyone leave him in charge? Spritz was right there, and clearly had a much better handle on things than he ever did.
Not that it mattered, anyways. They were supposed to work through their basic training drills, but instead the duo had spent most of that time pleading with Wimpod to come back after an attack, or a sudden yelp, or in one case a passing glare from Cindren sent him bolting. The Talonflame had left as soon as he'd realized Bristle wasn't around, leaving them to deal with the mess.
"Wimpod, please… He's gone now. You've got to come out eventually…" Spritz pleaded, slowly approaching the cropping of stones they'd traced him to, well down the fields from their training grounds. "We just want to help."
There was a small whimper. Then a pair of antennae popped out. Then a pair of eyes. They scanned the area frantically, relaxing almost imperceptibly after confirming the bird and his iron gaze were long gone.
There was a long moment, and Ashen flexed his paw nervously as he watched the bug, wondering whether they were about to begin their chase anew. It should probably have concerned him how much he related to that fearful look, but he didn't have the energy for reflection.
Finally, Wimpod skittered out from between the stones, and stopped a comfortable distance away from them. "Sorry, sorry, sorry…" he muttered, eyes to the dirt.
Spritz gave him a soft smile, but didn't dare approach to comfort him. "It's okay. No one is going to hurt you here," she reassured him. "Come on, let's get back. Bristle is gonna be maaaad if we don't get at least a bit of practice in," she giggled.
"I know I'm safe," he mumbled guiltily, trailing behind.
Ashen cast him one final pitying look before guiding them back to their makeshift training fields. It was as he'd thought- he was hopeless to help the bug with much of anything. Regardless of what Rex said, Spritz was the one in charge here.
Their exercises continued without much interruption from there. Spritz had been assigned endurance training- assailing a cropping of stones with a constant stream of water, while Ashen hopped back and forth across another set of rocks in an agility exercise that typically ended with many stumbles and bruises.
And Wimpod's training, of course, was to stay near the two of them without retreating. Somehow, he seemed to struggle the most.
Ashen had just taken a tumble, banging his snout on the rocks with a muffled groan, and flopping to the ground, when the murmured voices of a crowd began to float through the field. He opened a single eye to see a rift in space had opened, with a shaded alleyway on the other side. Rex, Bristle, Clicks, and Hoopa passed through before it closed- the latter two looked quite cheerful, while the former two looked ready to kill. Dedenne was hauling a large bag behind him, stuffed with supplies.
"Oh, yikes!" Spritz huffed, catching her breath as her constant torrent ended. "I take it things didn't go well, then?" she asked, noticing the sour expressions.
Bristle's eye twitched. "Helioptile here got caught snooping around the Crest and made the Lorekeeper chase him through the whole blasted city, making an absolute fool of me in the process," she snapped, arms folded.
"Yes, that is the absolute worst thing that happened while we were out," Rex snarked, rolling his eyes. "It had only been like an hour, and we were already getting stared at on the way out. Give it a bit more time, and we can never go back there again."
"Please. Like you're the first human we've ever seen. People will get bored of it," Bristle scoffed.
Both of Ashen's eyes shot wide with alarm, the pain in his snout vanishing as he jolted up. Bristle knew? Wait—did everyone know?!
Ashen wasn't the only one—everyone else's eyes had snapped to Rex as well.
"H-human? Really?" Clicks asked.
Wimpod was frozen, as if debating whether this revelation merited running away. And Spritz was staring at him with a starry-eyed gape, as though she'd just met her hero.
Rex's tail flicked with annoyance and he turned to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Asshole reporters figured it out and decided to publicly announce it," he grumbled. Then he shook his claws sarcastically. "Big reveal, woohoo. Doesn't really matter."
"Do'ya think you're here to save the world, or something? Like one of the old tales?" Spritz pleaded, getting just a bit too close to him in her excitement.
With a grimace, Rex gently shoved her back. "No. I'm here because someone's an asshole and I haven't found the chance to deck them in the face yet."
Spritz backed up and blinked, bearing a confused smile. "Oh- uhm… okay? Uhm… what exactly does that mean?" she tittered.
"It means I'm not supposed to be here. Whoever's responsible took my memories and left me in the dark. But whatever—this doesn't matter. Things here, and now, are the same."
"Amnesia?" Spritz grinned at him and continued in a singsong- "Sounding like someone is a legendary hero~!"
Rex's resulting glare was enough to make her stop, but not enough to wipe the grin from her face. His staring was interrupted when something brushed up against his side. Wimpod, in spite of his tremble, had approached even closer, staring at the Helioptile with determination in his eyes.
But Ashen had barely paid attention to it all. His heart had been replaced by a black hole in his chest, and his own thoughts were raining in on him like a volley of stones.
"Asshole reporters figured it out."
There was no mystery what had happened. He'd done it again… Entrusted with the slightest little thing, he'd immediately messed it up.
His head dipped low as the weight of guilt strained his neck. The others were too distracted with Spritz's teasing and Rex's protests to notice him. He started to slink away, his tail mopping up the dust and dirt.
Maybe it wasn't too late to return to his den? He could just live there, in the woods, like a feral, and never bother anyone again. Not that he'd last long…
But no. They knew where his den was. They'd come after him. Even if he moved, they'd find him. That was the problem. That was the entire reason he'd come with them in the first place. For whatever reason, they just wouldn't give up on him already.
So here he was, trying. Even though he knew he'd fail. That he'd keep making things worse…
They had to have seen him slinking away at some point, down the open fields. But no one pursued before he was most of the way back into town. He wasn't even sure where to go. Normally when he was like this he'd sneak off to his den. But that wasn't an option anymore. And in the small town, there was nowhere to hide.
Nowhere except…
His eyes turned past the village, to the shifting series of hills and chasms just to the east of it. And slowly his paws began to follow. In the past the thought of wandering willingly into a mystery dungeon would have never crossed his mind. But it had become normal now, over the past few weeks. And undeservingly, he was so much more powerful.
He'd be found, and followed, inevitably. But it would buy him some time alone.
Pace hurrying, he sped through the village and crossed that threshold into the dungeon.
Bristle oversaw the end of their exercises for the day, as unproductive as they were. Spritz wanted nothing more than to question Rex eagerly, Ashen had vanished, Clicks was desperate to get to work with his new toys, and even Hoopa seemed distracted by something.
Wimpod, oddly enough, was better than usual. He stuck closer to Rex than ever and was a bit less outburst-prone.
And admittedly, Bristle wasn't the most focused herself, either. She was still fuming, both about Rex's stunt and about Ithycus's attempts to shelter her. But something else tugged at her as well. She'd seen the look on Ashen's face as he'd slinked away. And she knew she was supposed to do something about it, but… what?
She didn't have the slightest idea what had upset him this time, and even if she did, Bristle knew she could never make anything better for him. Throughout a final hour of training, this worry slowly ate away at her anger, until she finally called it early from the anxiousness.
Rex eyed her skeptically as they all came together and descended back into the town.
"Never thought I'd see mercy out of you. You must be really pissed still," he snorted.
Bristle shot him a look and opened her mouth for a snappy retort, but for once nothing came to her. She just shook her head anxiously and looked to Spritz.
"I think your brother is upset. Could you please go speak with him?" she asked.
Spritz tilted her head at the Roselia, and then slowly gave a somber smile.
"Yeah, I'll try. He, uh… he can get like this a lot. I try to cheer him up as much as I can, but…" Her head drooped, eyes sinking to the dirt. "It just makes it worse, a lot of the time. He always thinks he's letting us down. Even when we couldn't be prouder."
Bristle's mouth twitched a bit, but otherwise she showed no reaction.
They entered the village proper and all turned towards Furret's place to get a good meal, until a vine tightened around Rex's arm and tugged him in the opposite direction.
"We're having a meeting. Now," she growled at him. "Spritz, please find your brother for dinner. The rest of you go on ahead, we'll catch up in a bit."
Rex let out a heavy sigh and looked at her. "Are you seriously not done complaining about this yet?"
"No," she answered curtly, and dragged him back towards their base.
As soon as they'd returned to the makeshift meeting space in her room, Rex was digging through her things again. She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as she leaned back against the wall.
"Do you have any respect for my property or privacy?" she asked as he emerged from the crate with her map and a stained inkwell.
"No," he echoed, already unfurling the map and setting to work rapidly vandalizing it with ink. Restraining herself from dragging him off of it, Bristle stepped closer and peered over to see him circling dungeon after dungeon, and drawing thin lines between them.
"My little 'stunt' wasn't for nothing," he explained. "They had a record of dungeon appearances and disappearances, and order. I think I remember them all. And with Hoopa's help, we can probably identify new disappearances even faster than the Crest can. Now, we just need to find the patterns."
Bristle opened her mouth to protest— not wanting to encourage his failed trespass or flagrant vandalism of her only map— but couldn't find the words to. Undeniably, this was a useful development.
"Good work," she finally muttered, adjusting herself awkwardly against the wall. "I guess the thing with Lore doesn't really matter. The Guildmaster wasn't going to work with me anyways," she said with a bitter frown.
"Dude's trying to compensate for his past mistakes by making more mistakes," Rex snorted. "He thinks you're too stupid to chase Faith without his help. But don't let it get to you. Just think about the shit-eating smugness we get to have when we turn her over."
That did perk her up a bit.
"Anyways, give me some time to figure this out. There's definitely gotta be some pattern to it all," Rex added.
"Right…"
Bristle's flowers curled in and out anxiously, as she stared out the window past him. It was a longshot, but she knew what she was looking for: some sign of Ashen or Spritz.
"Honestly, that wasn't actually what I wanted to talk about," she confessed, deflating. "Did you see Ashen before he wandered off?"
Rex looked up from his doodling, his own mood immediately souring as well.
"Yeah… " He let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to do about him." He paused and his eyes turned over to Bristle, examining her curiously.
After an awkward moment of being inspected— "What? Why are you staring at me?" she demanded defensively.
"I didn't expect you to notice, or particularly care," Rex admitted frankly.
The fire surged in her chest to protest, but nothing came out but air. Her shoulders drooped and she looked away.
"I… I can't help but wonder if it isn't my fault. He clearly needed help after the whole 'spirit' thing, and I didn't exactly give it to him. And yet he still saved my life. I sort of owe it to him to care now. Better late than never, I guess."
A goofy smile appeared on Rex's face. "Aww. You do have a heart. Had me fooled."
"…I literally don't," she muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.
His transcribing complete, Rex stowed the map again and hopped up on top of one of the crates, tail curled beside him.
"Well, if you're so indebted, why not show him? Give him a gift, or throw him a party, or at least send him a card or something?" he suggested. "Maybe it'll help him feel better."
Something about that didn't feel right to her, but… how much experience did Bristle have with this type of thing? Nothing felt right. Perhaps it was best she just left Spritz to it, and…
"His evolution party," she blurted, standing up abruptly. "Leafeon talked about planning one, but he hasn't had one yet. I imagine Leafeon would be willing to help us set something up."
Rex nodded thoughtfully. "Sure. We could probably do something like that. Play fun games like 'burn the tail off the donkey'," he snickered. After a nasty glare he cleared his throat and straightened up. "His family would probably trip over themselves to help us, anyways."
Slowly, Bristle's confidence grew. "I'll go speak with them tomorrow. We can plan something to show him that we… err, care, I guess."
"Sounds good. I'll watch over our merry band of imbeciles in the meanwhile. Though, hopefully Spritz gets him cheered up before then."
As if on cue, Spritz's head popped into the room, looking frazzled.
"Hey, uhm, guys?" she spat out quickly. "I can't find Ashen anywhere."
Rolling Fields, Quadrant 3
Ashen's strange choice of place to hide away had proven bafflingly perfect. The dungeon chasms, bathed in their strange sunset light, gave him a long and quiet stretch to walk alone as he tried to outpace his own thoughts.
A strangely long and quiet stretch, actually. It was until the third quadrant that he started to consider that he'd spent the entire walk unbothered. No apparitions had come for him, no treasures had been strewn about to lure him in. The dungeon had been just as empty as he'd needed.
And now that he was thinking about it, it occurred to him that he'd been walking down one chasm, with dirt walls on either side, for quite a long while now.
The dungeon was leading him somewhere…
He considered turning back. If the dungeon was leading him somewhere, it couldn't be anywhere good. But when he turned around, the path had closed off a few dozen feet behind him.
Ashen just sighed and bowed his head, continuing to walk. He'd gotten himself into this mess, anyways.
The long chasm eventually let out into a clearing, with the floor gently declining on every side towards a pit in the center. A series of roots tangled around a thick, soft patch of grass at the bottom, where the sun beamed down.
Ashen stared at it in confusion for a long moment, before realizing what it was: a bed. The dungeon was offering him a place to rest.
He looked nervously around the room for an exit but found none. A glance behind confirmed the tunnel he'd entered through had almost entirely sealed. He wasn't being given a choice but to rest here.
Sighing, he stepped down into the pit and curled up on the grass. Admittedly, it was comfortable, and the sun hit nicely. It was a simple peace, and he was too downtrodden to worry much about the dungeon offering it.
He laid there in the sun for the better half of an hour, letting the comfort still his mind and replace those bitter thoughts with blank space. It was a peaceful nothingness, with only the soft gravelly sound of the dungeon walls shifting and flowing in the chambers around him.
But his mindless meditation was finally interrupted by a new sound that set him on guard- footsteps on the dirt above. His eyes darted open and his head flew up to see—
A Leafeon. Not his father. Someone he didn't recognize. And yet… they were oddly familiar.
"I hope I'm not intruding?" he called down, a gentle smile on his face. The voice, too, was familiar. Somber and soft. He approached slowly, and non-threateningly. "You've rested quite a while a now. And I did wish to speak with you.
The circle of roots around him began to writhe and move like snakes, burrowing through the dirt and expanding outward to widen the circle. New grass poked out from the earth to fill the space as it did.
Ashen gasped and quickly rose. The strange Leafeon's gentle demeanor had kept him relaxed, but now he was controlling the dungeon? The Flareon crouched in a guarded stance and flattened his ears back against his head.
"Who are you?" he demanded, a quiver in his voice betraying his fear. "Are- are you the dungeon?"
The Leafeon chuckled and stopped his approach, seeming to sense the anxiety he was causing.
"No. I'm afraid the dungeon doesn't like speaking to people directly. Nor does it understand such comforts," he said, gesturing a paw towards the soft grass. "I am a friend of the dungeon. And that comes with certain privileges."
He gave the ground a gentle tap with his paw, and one of the roots surrounding them began to coil upwards. It reached out towards Ashen and expanded, the end of it forming the gentle blue and faint glow of an Oran berry, which promptly fell off the vine in front of him.
Ashen eyed the berry suspiciously a moment. A friend of the dungeon? Of course, everyone had heard the superstitions that dungeons were alive. And for all Ashen had ever known, it could have easily been true, too. But to hear it so casually confirmed in front of him was surreal. And terrifying.
He finally glanced up to see a similar vine had coiled up above the Leafeon, and they were already beginning to bite from another berry on the ground. His suspicions abated a bit, and silently he took a bite of his own, sitting carefully. It tasted like a perfectly ordinary Oran.
"Why? What does the dungeon want from me?" he asked in a whimper.
The Leafeon adopted a similar sitting position, focusing primarily on its food.
"Actually, this was my request. The dungeon was quite opposed to it. This sort of reprieve is… against its nature. So the question you should be asking is: What do I want from you?" he asked, looking up with an eerie smile that made Ashen flinch.
As if by instinct, Leafeon immediately turned his attention to the berry again when Ashen winced.
"What I want, is just to understand you a bit better. And perhaps to show you a bit of pity."
"But why me?" Ashen asked again, pawing nervously at his berry as much as he was eating it.
Leafeon nodded, acknowledging the question.
"You were taken in by a friend of the dungeon. Given a part in his show. Granted a chance to be the villain. Then granted the chance to be a hero. And yet through all of it, your sorrow never abated. The rot in your spirit has subsided, but only a bit. I wish to understand why."
The Leafeon stood up. Suddenly, but slowly enough not to startle his guest. He waved a paw emphatically towards himself.
"This is what you think you want, isn't it?" he asked.
He strutted in a circle, holding his head high and swaying his shoulders side to side as though he were a model for his own body. He stopped abruptly and reared, slamming his front paws on the dirt. Grooves formed into the ground as the dirt shifted around and darkened to form the small rows of a farm plot.
"This body. This life?"
Ashen was gaping at the Leafeon at this point. The entire situation was absurd. A stranger speaking for the dungeon, asking him about his interest in farming?
"I- I don't know?" he stuttered, abandoning his berry to back away nervously. "Why is this… why does this matter?"
The Leafeon's eyes had widened, revealing just a bit of maniabeneath his gentle veneer.
"Because I need to understand. What compels people to chase this rot? To chain themselves to a life of quiet and discontent. All while silently screaming, endlessly screaming, for freedom," he rambled fervently.
Then he paused a moment, seeming to realize he was scaring Ashen again. He quickly sat back down and took another compulsive bite from the berry.
"I just want to know… why? It's always seemed sad to me, that even in their dreams mortals can't think grander. You've been handed the chance for a life of excitement, and growth, and adventure. And yet you still long for something… hollow."
Ashen took a deep breath and stopped his retreat when Leafeon sat and looked away. But he definitely didn't get any closer. The question just made him blow hot air out his nose. He didn't even know anymore.
"I guess… it's less about the farm and more about just wanting to just stop messing stuff up? It was little stuff at first. Don't drop the pots. Don't tear up the roots when I pluck a crop…" He turned his head down regretfully. "Now it's 'don't burn the town down' and 'don't spoil Rex's secret to everyone', and I'm still messing it all up."
The Leafeon gave him a pitying look. "Oh, child. You've seen half the show and are already lamenting the end. I don't think any of this will turn out as badly as you expect."
The brief show of pity didn't last long, and the Leafeon's expression sharpened into a tighter scrutiny as he examined Ashen. "But that is an interesting answer. It seems you believe any deviation from the life laid out for you is a mistake. And that any mistake is a black mark. I suspect… you are not the only one who feels that way."
Ashen shrugged uncomfortably, unsure how to respond to that. It was a strange point. "It's what would make them happy?"
Leafeon stared blankly back at him for a long moment, his facing contorting with increasing confusion. "What would… You would shape your entire mortal life… "
He became frustrated, shaking his head. "Pokémon were made with drive. Motivation. Drive for simple tasks. To hunt and eat. To wander the world. To form a family. But it kept them alive. Truly alive."
He stood up and began to slowly step closer.
"I was there to witness the arrival of the first humans, before even the dungeons. They brought many wondrous things. And I watched curiously as they changed the future of our world. But they also brought their rot. That rot now so ingrained in the hearts of Pokémon, which compels them to thrust that drive into the void. To immerse their minds endlessly in such pointless nothingness. Which tells them that comfort comes before all else."
Ashen backed away nervously as it began its slow approach. The first humans? Before the dungeons? What was this thing? And this whole spiel was… eerily familiar.
"Y-you're with Strife, aren't you?" he hazarded.
His rear bumped up against the ring of roots encircling them. He was cornered.
"I suppose so, yes," it answered dismissively, before quickly changing the topic. "I want to make you an offer."
A grin curled on its face that made Ashen's skin crawl as it took another eager step forward.
"An experiment of sorts. I can grant your so-called 'dream'. I can make what little evidence of your mistake exists vanish. You'd never be found out. I can grant you assistance. Whispers in your ear to make sure everything goes right. That you can be the perfect little farmer you were 'supposed' to be."
There was a loud rumbling all around them, and above the pit Ashen could see the dungeon walls starting to rapidly undulate, as the ground trembled beneath.
The Leafeon shot an annoyed glare up into the air. "Hush, you. I know what I'm doing," he growled.
There was a small delay before the dungeon settled again, as if in protest. But once it did, Leafeon's smile returned, and his attention went right back to Ashen.
"And best of all… I can grant you this body."
The air seemed to congeal in Ashen's throat. That… was impossible.
His throat only tightened further when something clicked in his head. That face… that voice… he knew why they were familiar now.
They were his own.
Not exactly. Not perfectly. They were just a bit off, like a flawed recreation. But…
He shrank back against the barrier, desperate to gain every last inch from that thing. Even if it lacked the glowing eyes, or the inky texture…
"You're an apparition," he whispered accusingly. "This is a trick."
The apparition gave a somber chuckle, the maniafading from it again. It stopped advancing, but it was far too close for comfort now.
"You're half-right. I am an apparition. Eating with you was… more for your comfort, than anything," it said, glancing back at the half-eaten Oran. "But this isn't a… trick, no. An act of pity, and of curiosity."
The apparition sauntered over to its miniature farm plot and sat down.
"I can give you exactly what you think you wanted. And then we can see… See whether that truly changes anything for you. See how long until your spirit rots once more… Will you even realize it? Will you even feel the shackles you'd imposed on yourself?" it mused.
"I'm not going to make any shady deals with you! N-not again!" Ashen shouted, his fur bristling with fear. His eyes darted back and forth across the walls above, looking for any exit. Any escape.
The apparition sighed, the excitement quickly draining from its face. It tapped its paw to the dirt again, and the ground beneath it parted like liquid as a glossy blue sphere emerged. Even from a distance, it was unmistakable to Ashen—an Escape Orb.
"Miserable because of your 'mistakes', but too afraid to 'fix' them," it muttered, shaking its head with disappointment. "You displayed such bravery in helping someone else, but when it comes to yourself? You've already surrendered."
Its eyes sharpened, as it fired a glare at the Flareon. "Make no mistake, child. That is not noble. It is not heroic. Your spirit is eroded by rot, and all that remains is submission."
With a swing of its paw, it batted the orb over to Ashen. Frozen in place, he didn't even catch it as it rolled into his paws and bumped right off.
"Very well. Though your reasons are all wrong, you choose correctly to continue this path you've started. But if you ever wish to indulge this little… test, you can find me here. Even if you don't, you may come here to rest, and to be alone, whenever you want."
The ground rumbled again, and the apparition shot another dirty look at nothing in particular.
Ashen broke his stillness and quickly clamped a paw down on the orb. He shot the apparition a final glance, feeling deeply conflicted about it. It was as crazy as Strife. And trying to get him involved in another shady deal. But it also seemed to care about him. …Just like Strife.
Why did they keep coming for him? Could they just sense a walking disaster?
"Thank you," he murmured.
His paw smashed the orb, and he sank into the inky black below. In the fleeting moments before he did, he saw the apparition melt away as well.
